Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy (11 page)

“Backs to the wall,”
Natalie whispered urgently, slamming her own back so hard it made a
slapping noise. “Stare at the floor,
quickly.
”

Ben and Charlie did so just in
time. From the corner of his eye, Ben saw a small group approaching.
He strained his eyes to get a better view. There was a man wearing a
black suit with five blue diamonds hovering above his shoulder, but
it was the others who caught Ben’s eye. They were tall but
slender and walked gracefully, each with a sword strapped to their
waist. Their faces were so pale they were almost white, their ears
were pointed and their shoulder-length, silver hair was tied back.
They wore a purple uniform, except for the one in the middle. He wore
a cloak that seemed to blend in with the background.

Charlie gasped loudly and Ben saw
Natalie grimace from the corner of his eye.

The fabric! Ben felt it in his
pocket. The properties were identical. Ben resisted the urge to look
up, instead straining his eyeballs until they ached. Closer they
came, until they were within touching distance and stopped just as
they were about to pass by.

There was a small intake of
breath and a clicking of the tongue.

“Well, well, what’s
this? A Greenwood? Let me look at you.”

The voice was soft but compelling
and Ben found himself looking up at the speaker. His eyes were purple
and seemed to glow. His skin was so tight he looked skeletal.

“You didn’t tell me
their son was here, Colin,” he said, not taking his eyes off
Ben.

“We didn’t think it
relevant, Elessar,” Colin replied. His voice reminded Ben of
royalty, pronouncing every syllable with exaggerated clarity. He was
impeccably dressed in a tailored suit and reminded Ben of a banker or
a lawyer.

“Not relevant? You have the
son of the traitors who have brought our two great empires to the
brink of war. He may have knowledge that could aid our search.”

“The Executive Council is
meeting this evening to establish exactly that,” Colin said.

“Good,” Elessar
replied. Ben’s head was starting to hurt from the purple stare;
it seemed to bore into his skull. “However, I fear our methods
of extracting information will be more fruitful than your own. We can
delve into the very deepest subconscious and still leave the subject
mostly intact.”

Ben felt his anger bubbling. He
wanted to speak, but he couldn’t get his vocal chords working.

“We can discuss such
matters at the Executive Council after our own investigation,”
Colin said. His face was calm, his response unhurried.

Elessar nodded and finally turned
away, directing his intense gaze upon Colin.

“I report to my king
tonight. You must understand the dilemma I am presented with. My king
is not unjust or vengeful, but he will wonder at young Greenwood’s
freedom, given the tragic fate of my king’s son.”

Free of the purple stare, Ben
found his voice again. He was about to give Elessar a piece of his
mind, but Natalie squeezed his wrist.

“I understand your
predicament,” Colin said, with what sounded to Ben like genuine
concern. “Let us discuss it further in the meeting. I’m
sure we can come up with something.”

Elessar and Colin walked side by
side and the others fell in behind. Ben watched as they filed into
one of the meeting rooms. There was a click as the door shut behind
them.

“That was close,”
Natalie sighed. “Sorry for grabbing you, but if you had
backlashed it would have been a diplomatic nightmare. Things are
really tense right now with the dark elves and it doesn’t take
much to insult them. The department of diplomacy has given all
apprentices an exact code of conduct so we don’t accidentally
mess things up. It generally consists of keeping our heads down and
speaking as little as possible.”

“Who was the fellow with
the strange cloak?” Charlie asked.

“Elessar. He is the General
of King Suktar’s army. He is a dark elf of great power. I have
never seen him close up before.”

Despite Natalie’s warning,
Ben felt a strong urge to burst into the room and ram his fist into
Elessar’s face. Instead he pulled out the piece of fabric and
handed it to Natalie.

“I found this in my
parents’ house the day they disappeared.”

Natalie stared at the cloth. Her
mouth slowly opened as its significance dawned on her.

“Before we jump to
conclusions, do you know if anyone else uses those camouflaged
cloaks?” Charlie asked.

“No,” Natalie said
softly, as if the elves might hear them through the thick walls. “The
dark elf officers are famed for them.”

“Well, that’s one
mystery solved,” Charlie said. There was a sudden energy about
him and he looked as if he wanted to start pacing around the hallway.
“We know it was a dark elf officer, possibly this Elessar, who
came after your parents.”

“We should get out of here
so we can speak freely,” Natalie said, casting an anxious
glance at the meeting room door.

Charlie and Natalie had to grab
Ben and drag him back to the relative sanctuary of the staircase.

“I know what you’re
thinking,” Natalie said, twirling a lock of hair with her
finger. “But this doesn’t change anything to do with your
parents.”

“Why not?” Ben asked,
louder than he meant to. “This proves that they came after my
parents.”

“True,” Natalie said.
“But I bet the Institute already knows that. The dark elves
probably claim they came looking for your parents to bring them to
justice.”

Ben ruffled his dishevelled hair
and kicked the ornate banister to vent his frustration. “This
is so unfair, it’s a joke.”

“We know that, Ben. Wren
said she is convinced your parents are innocent and I believe her.
But the Institute can’t prove it yet.”

Ben didn’t share Natalie’s
confidence in the Institute. Charlie, however, had a small smile on
his lips.

“Ben, you may not have
realised it judging by your mini tantrum, but this is actually good
news.”

Ben looked at him, confusion
suppressing his anger.

Charlie punched his fist into his
hand. “We have a lead,” he said, trying to contain his
excitement. “For the first time, we have something to go on.”

Charlie’s enthusiasm was
infectious and Ben’s anger started to fade.

“A lead?” Natalie
gave them a serious look. “I know this might seem like a game,
but this is serious Institute business.”

Charlie was taken aback, but Ben
met her stare with his own. “This is my family we are talking
about.”

Natalie softened. “I’m
sorry. I know how much this means to you and, of course, you want to
do everything you can. But you must trust the Institute. However
well-intentioned your help may be, it will only interfere with the
Institute’s search for your parents. Please promise me you
won’t get in their way.”

Ben gave her his most sincere
smile. “We promise,” he lied.

Natalie seemed to buy it. “You
should show that fabric to Wren. It might help them somehow.”

“Good idea,” Ben
said, slipping the fabric back in his pocket. He would have to watch
what he said in front of Natalie from now on. Would Wren also expect
them to sit back and do nothing? He hoped not. He had a feeling
fooling her would be a good deal harder than Natalie.

Natalie led them down the stairs
to the next set of double doors, which read “Department of
Trade” with a picture of a gold sovereign below.

“This department will take
your mind off the dark elves, I promise,” she said.

The statue in the hallway beyond
the doors was of a pretty woman by the name of Charlotte Rowe. She
had a Mona Lisa smile and held a small pouch.

“A woman,” Charlie
said. He immediately turned bright red when he realised what he had
said. “Which isn’t bad, quite admirable, in fact; I just
thought in the sixteenth century…”

“You’re right, it was
unusual,” Natalie said, putting an end to Charlie’s
flustered explanation. “But remember, it was Queen Elizabeth
who appointed the first directors. Charlotte Rowe was a unique woman.
She was the first to learn Elvish and established many valuable
contacts.”

Charlie looked ready to continue
the boring history lesson so Ben walked quickly to the nearest door,
which read “Trading Centre”.

“This is where most of the
action happens,” Natalie said. “You can wander round by
yourself. The only rule is: never stop. If you stop, they assume you
are listening, which is forbidden. It might be difficult, but keep
moving, no matter how slow.”

They opened the door and Ben was
immediately hit with a wall of noise. Voices of every pitch and
volume clashed with an energy that set Ben’s hair on end. The
place was packed with people seated at huge wooden tables spanning
the entire room. Everyone seemed in an animated discussion with the
person opposite. It looked like a busy lunch room but instead of food
there were documents and papers on the tables. On one side were
Institute members, identified by the yellow floating diamonds on
their shoulders. On the other side was the most fantastic array of
people Ben had ever seen. There were elves – Ben was getting
used to them – but he never realised they came in such variety.
All had the pointed ears, smooth skin and delicate features, but the
similarities ended there. Some were tall and big as men with loud
voices and fiery eyes; others were slender and spoke so softly Ben
could barely hear them. Some wore earthy green garments that looked
like someone had hand-knit them, others wore expensive uniforms and
wore beautiful jewellery. There were small, stocky dwarves and
lumbering giants, towering over everyone and making the benches
creak. There were fairy creatures, fluttering their wings while
talking with every bit as much gusto as those around them. For the
most part, English was spoken, but there were other languages that
the Institute members seemed equally fluent in.

Ben walked slowly, trying to make
out bits of conversation within the mayhem.

“…that’s the
going price of sugar, my friend, take it or leave it…”

“…magic has been
going up consistently, look at the figures…”

“…yes, we like your
spices, but not enough to bankrupt our nation…”

“…these earthquake
spells have been extensively tested, they will bring the house down,
trust me…”

Ben wanted to listen to every
conversation, but if he stopped too long he started getting looks, so
he always moved on. He lost himself in the energy of the room and
marvelled at the way the Institute members bartered – to a man
they looked like seasoned salesmen undaunted by the opposition no
matter how peculiar or intense the debate was.

He wasn’t sure how much
time had passed before he’d seen enough. It took him a moment
to spot Charlie and Natalie. They were by the door talking in hushed
voices with somebody. It was Wren, Ben realised in surprise. Surely
it hadn’t been three hours already? He hurried over, the
fascination of the trading tables evaporating.

“Ben,” Wren said,
smiling at him with a pervasive calm. “I am sorry to barge in
like this – you looked like you were enjoying yourself.
Fascinating, isn’t it? Our best traders can sell ice to an
Eskimo, as the saying goes.”

“Is everything okay?”
Ben asked, seeing the sombre expressions from Natalie and Charlie.

“Everything is fine,”
Wren said. “Unfortunately, I am going to have to cut your tour
short. Draven, in his fanatical obsession to move things along, has
managed to convene everyone quicker than I anticipated. They are now
upstairs, awaiting your presence.”

Ben, Charlie and Natalie were once more heading down the staircase. Wren
had ordered Ben to get some food as she said he would need the
energy. A sombre silence had descended, broken only by the rhythmic
pattering of feet echoing on the marble stairs.

While touring the Institute Ben
had managed to put thoughts of the meeting aside, but now everything
came rushing back. He could deal with the questions and was looking
forward to seeing if his parents really had cast any spells on him.
It was the Memory Search that worried him, the idea that people would
be able to see inside his head.
It will replay in your mind as if it’s happening again.
Would he have any control? What would he see?

Natalie led them through a set of
double doors that read “Department of Apprentices” with a
symbol of a tree below. Ben’s troubles receded momentarily as
they walked through the hallway into a large room that looked a bit
like the sixth-form campus at school. There were a dozen people, most
not much older than him, sitting on couches and chairs that were
sprawled haphazardly. Books lay everywhere – on the couches, on
small desks and even on the floor. Most were reading, but a few were
tinkering with their Spellshooters.

Ben felt several curious eyes on
him and a few jealous looks from some of the guys. He was in no mood
for introductions and thankfully Natalie led them straight through to
an adjacent dining hall. It looked like the trading room minus the
craziness. There were two wooden tables and benches either side of
them. At the end of the room stood trolleys with piping hot food
creating a pleasant aroma.

Ben barely paid any attention to
the chicken casserole he served onto his dish. He didn’t feel
like eating, but forced the food down, barely aware that it tasted
delicious. Before he knew it he was bussing his tray and they were
making their way back up the stairs to the very top floor.
Occasionally someone overtook them, but Ben was happy with the slow
pace; it gave him a few more minutes to prepare and helped Charlie to
keep up. When they passed the Department of Spellswords, Ben felt the
first shiver of nerves.